QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.0mw

Earthquake near San Juan Bautista, CA

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in San Juan Bautista in the last 24 hours. M 2.0, 4 km (2 mi) SSW of San Juan Bautista, at 2:11 am PST on 11 November 2026 (10:11 UTC); the estimated shaking in San Juan Bautista was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near San Juan Bautista

This page: a magnitude 4.0 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south of San Juan Bautista, CA, at 12:57 pm PST on 27 November 2025 (20:57 UTC), 8.2 km deep. 417 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km S of San Juan Bautista, CA

15 km (9 mi) NNE of Salinas, CA · 60 km (37 mi) SSE of San Jose, CA

12:57 pm PST, Nov 27, 2025 · · 8.2 km deep · released about 17 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near San Juan Bautista Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 46 kmSanta Cruz County 48 kmSanta Clara County 49 kmMonterey County 65 kmMerced County 85 kmStanislaus County 97 kmAlameda County 100 kmSan Mateo County 100 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
12:57 pm PST on 27 November 2025 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) south of San Juan Bautista, CA · earthquakes near San Juan Bautista
Magnitude
M 4.0 (mw)
Depth
8.2 km below the surface
Felt
417 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
San Benito County, 46 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Zayante-Vergeles fault, 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 48 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 100 km (62 mi) from the epicentre. In San Juan Bautista, 5 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Prunedale 12 km, intensity IV · Hollister 14 km, intensity III · Salinas 17 km, intensity III · Watsonville 23 km, intensity III · Gilroy 23 km, intensity III · Morgan Hill 38 km, intensity III · Capitola 41 km, intensity III · Live Oak 44 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 17 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 9,800× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 440× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 310× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.0 about 17 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 36× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.7 on 2019-10-15 — about 10 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 27 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 40 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 36 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 30 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Near Watsonville, California · 22 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 30 km ESE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 36.7990, -121.5437. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 46 km (28 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Benito County
Santa Cruz County, CA 48 km (30 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Santa Clara County, CA 49 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Monterey County, CA 65 km (41 mi) SSE earthquakes near Monterey County
Merced County, CA 85 km (53 mi) ENE earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 97 km (61 mi) NNE earthquakes near Stanislaus County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

52 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.8 13 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  2. 2.8 4 km N of Corralitos, CA
  3. 2.6 3 km ESE of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 1.6 14 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  5. 1.7 5 km S of San Juan Bautista, CA
  6. 1.6 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  7. 1.8 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  8. 2.5 9 km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  9. 1.7 6 km NNW of Hollister, CA
  10. 2.5 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  11. 1.6 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  12. 1.6 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  13. 1.8 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  14. 3.3 16 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  15. 1.6 5 km SW of Ridgemark, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.